Lightroom Team Travel Spotlight: Kelly Castro and Benjamin Warde

The Around the World with Lightroom Photo Contest has only been running for two weeks and we have already received more than 650 images captured in more than 75 different countries! With the submission stage ending on August 23rd, be sure to show us where you’ve traveled and share your special stories behind each shot in the next few weeks.*

Wondering how you can track all your favorite vacation spots? Introduced in Lightroom 4, the Map Module allows you to easily add location information to all of your travel photos. Whether you’re looking to geo-tag your images with a simple drag and drop or just trying to better organize your collection by location, the Map Module provides some fantastic tools to make your travel experiences a whole lot simpler. For a more in-depth explanation, check out this video on YouTube!

To provide further inspiration for your travel photos, here are two more stories from our own team’s travels around the world. Last week, you heard from Lightroom team members Adriana Ohlmeyer and Tom Hogarty about how to spot great images abroad and in your own backyard. Today, Lightroom team members Kelly Castro and Benjamin Warde take us on a tour through Spain and Portugal, and even share some stunning shots from the deck of a 15th century ship!

Kelly Castro – Software Quality Engineer

When you travel, what is your favorite subject to capture?Kelly: I try to capture the overall feeling of my experience. This includes everything from the tiniest bit of minutiae, to wide landscapes, to portraits of people I meet along the way. Stylistically, I strive for my snapshots to look like postcards and my personal shots to look like art.

Where have you traveled to most recently? Any memorable shots?Kelly: I recently returned from two weeks in Spain, Portugal and the UK with 3,000 images. I’d like to think I got a few keepers.

If you had to pick one place in the world right now that you have not been to before to visit for purely photographic purposes, where would that be and why?Kelly: French Polynesia – for its beauty and minimalist landscape.

Why is travel photography so important to you?Kelly: Travel photos are back-up for my memory. After a trip, I like to collect my photos in a book – it brings me right back whenever I pull it off the shelf.

Benjamin Warde – Software Quality Engineer

When you travel, what is your favorite subject to capture?Benjamin: I don’t favor any particular subject. Landscape photography is probably my favorite, though I do feel that almost any photo is made better by having a person in it.

Where have you traveled recently? Any good shots?Benjamin: My most recent trip was to New York. No particular gems there…Overall, I think that I liked my pictures from my last trip to New York better. Somewhat more recently I spent about three months sailing on a replica of a 15th century sailing ship, and that certainly produced a few interesting shots.

What is your most important piece of photography equipment?Benjamin: A camera. 🙂 When traveling, small, pocketable, inconspicuous, and rugged become much more important to me than picture quality. Whatever camera you carry, you limit your options. The weight, bulk, expense, delicacy, and obviousness of an SLR and a bunch of lenses limit your photographic opportunities just as surely as the relatively limited performance of a pocket-sized camera.

Why is travel photography so important to you?Benjamin: Travel photography is important to me because travel is important to me. Travel is important because it broadens my mind and enriches me as a person. Taking pictures when I travel makes me look more closely at what I see, cements the memory of the experience, and provides me with my most cherished souvenirs.

With only three weeks left for submissions, we’re excited to see more of your images from your recent travels! To see all of the incredible photos we’ve been receiving and to participate, be sure to check out our Facebook app. Also, if you enjoyed the tutorial on geotagging, you can learn more by viewing our travel photography playlist on YouTube to pick up more cool Lightroom tips.

Tune in next week for more photos and stories from the team!

*NO ADDN’L PUR NEC. Open to 50 US/DC, UK, DE AND CA (EXCL. QC), 18+ or majority. Enter by 8/23/2012. See Rules: http://bit.ly/Ns3lCA.

Join the discussion

Its incredible how you have got photographs of a musky sunset, a dew covered spiders web and others which represent simply life. Your statement about why photography is important to you is also such a truthful and valid responce. Love Your Work!

[…] can take the perfect picture. We have introduced you to Lightroom team members such as Eric Chan, Kelly Castro and Benjamin Warde. Featured this week is our Principal Digital Imaging Evangelist for Lightroom and Photoshop, […]

[…] from our own Lightroom team to provide inspiration for your submissions. Last Thursday, you heard from team members Kelly Castro and Benjamin Warde about their recent trips to Europe and some great shots […]

Subscribe via email

Subscribe to this blog to stay on top of news for creatives.Leave This Blank:Leave This Blank Too:Do Not Change This:

Your email:

Connect with Photoshop

Connect with Lightroom

Creative Cloud Photography Plan

Get all your photography essentials, including Lightroom and Photoshop.